Have you ever wished you could just write a check to make someone come to Christ? Maybe that sounds bizarre, but I mean, haven’t you ever wished that you had that kind of power, just through incurring a cost, to actually influence a person’s soul for eternity?
What if we do?
Now before you totally write me off as a crazy heretic, just consider: What is it that gets people’s attention?
We are accustomed to people being self-seeking. We are accustomed to people demanding their rights. We are accustomed to everyone looking out for themselves.
We’re not accustomed to self-sacrificing love. We’re not accustomed to someone being willing to be wronged. We’re not accustomed to radical forgiveness.
That is what grips souls.
Consider this exerpt from Les Miserables, right after Jean Valjean has robbed the Bishop, and the police (gendarmes) catch him and bring him back:
[The Bishop] stepped to the chimney-piece, took the two silver candlesticks, and brought them to Jean Valjean. The two women looked on without uttering a word, without a gesture, without a look which could disconcert the Bishop.
Jean Valjean was trembling in every limb. He took the two candlesticks mechanically, and with a bewildered air.
“Now,” said the Bishop, “go in peace. By the way, when you return, my friend, it is not necessary to pass through the garden. You can always enter and depart through the street door. It is never fastened with anything but a latch, either by day or by night.”
Then, turning to the gendarmes:–
“You may retire, gentlemen.”
The gendarmes retired.
Jean Valjean was like a man on the point of fainting.
The Bishop drew near to him, and said in a low voice:–
“Do not forget, never forget, that you have promised to use this money in becoming an honest man.”
Jean Valjean, who had no recollection of ever having promised anything, remained speechless. The Bishop had emphasized the words when he uttered them. He resumed with solemnity:–
“Jean Valjean, my brother, you no longer belong to evil, but to good. It is your soul that I buy from you; I withdraw it from black thoughts and the spirit of perdition, and I give it to God.”
—ending of “Chapter XII. The Bishop Works” in Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
Join me for Episode 26 as we look at the POWER we have been given, to influence others and potentially even “buy their souls” for God, just through our willingness to forgive. So much to consider here! Thanks for joining!
About the Kari Patterson Podcast: We need wisdom, y’all. Like, yesterday. Right?! We need God’s perspective. We need His heart. We need joy, resilience, clarity, and conviction. Feeling this need, author Kari Patterson opens Scripture and shares candidly how God’s Word informs her daily life. Appropriate for all ages, relatable and refreshing, join Kari for conversations on responding to unkindness, emotional freedom, parenting dilemmas, self-pity, forgiveness, and more. (Available most of the places you enjoy podcasts, including those with links above.)